


They Discussed

by lumienarc



Series: Hauntober 2020 [7]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:16:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27151672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lumienarc/pseuds/lumienarc
Summary: More entry for Hauntober 2020 prompt #15, 16, 17, 18, 19, because, again (2), I didn't have time (soz): Raven, Moth, Owl, Toad, and FamiliarsEdited 24 October 2020 because the heck, I just realised I wrote major instead of mayor. Too many major pieces, man. I need to stop making fun of major keys lol
Series: Hauntober 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948243
Kudos: 1





	They Discussed

This region was surrounded by lush dark forest. There were more areas covered by trees than the open ones where people resided. The capital of the region was far from this town, which was rather big and unprovincial. The current mayor was still very young. He was known as a well-groomed son with a tragic backstory. Everyone in town knew his story. His family died one by one, including the cousins. His cousins were the one residing in the “haunted manor” right down the main road. He himself chose to live a little bit closer to the townhall instead so he didn’t see the ruins that refused to fall into itself after all these years. No one had actually seen his face except the ones that worked with him directly in the townhall, and his close friends. The townsfolk rather liked to talk about how his mysterious came to be, and how he just casually walked among the people without they noticing that he was their mayor all the time. He didn’t really like animals, but animals took quite a liking on him because he was suspicious for them.

As the area was surrounded by nature, it was also natural that many creatures spent their time in the town as well. Not every creature was an animal, though. The animals and creatures knew whom to take interest to and which were the rotten ones. For example, many spied on the mayor because he was suspicious by nature while many observed the young, clueless man Nathan because he had an inviting aura. He didn’t like wild animals, though. What a wuss, they said as they laughed, because the creatures and animals knew the woman he was in relationship with before loved animals and creatures, wild or domesticated, just like the legendary queen of the forest. She was not, of course, but she loved nature and all that was in it.

Sometimes, the animals and creatures took time to gather at the northern forest’s glade of the moon. It was the most peaceful and safest place for them because no human would come, at least not the ones that would harm them. This afternoon, as the sun dimmed a bit because of the change of the season, a raven, a toad, a moth, and a black cat, which was one of known familiars in the area, chatted by the pond. Regardless what people believed, these animals could communicate with each other because they were touched by the deep magic of the dark forest.

“Frederic Edmund Callaghan, rather fitting for a mayor’s name, isn’t it?” Jen the Raven said as she groomed her shiny black feathers. “I watched him faint today. Rather unfitting now. No one knew it was him, though. They thought it was just some rich guy from Rushmere.”

“Why did he faint?” Willy the Toad asked, although he was always disinterested.

“Who is this guy? I have just been out of my cocoon today, I don’t remember anything,” Ollie the Moth said. Well, usually moths and butterflies remembered, but Ollie had always been a special case. The black cat jumped and bit the moth mercilessly. It basically murdered the moth coldheartedly, and it was all because of one explanation that should have been easy to do.

“You are heartless, Sable,” Jen said, but she cackled. “Did Freyja get under your coat?”

“No,” Sable answered shortly and snobbishly. “I was intrigued by your tale and he spoiled it. Do continue, Jen. Answer the frog’s question.”

“I am a toad!” Willy protested.

“All toads are frog, but not all frogs are toad. I did no wrong,” Sable defended arrogantly. He caught it from Freyja.

“You—…” Willy croaked angrily. Sable looked at him disapprovingly and proceeded to smack the toad into the pond. He would be fine, at least. Jen cackled even louder. It invited a barn owl named Travis. He got his name from Nathan who somehow took a liking to him when he accidentally found him, almost dead, from an injury by the brute Sam that shot him.

“What are you talking about and why are you laughing so hard, Jen?” asked he as he landed by Sable’s side.

“We were talking about what I saw today in the town.”

“Oh, do tell,” said Travis, yawning.

“The mayor was walking down the street, undetected as usual. I was observing from the rooftop, trying to see if I could find easy food, but instead, I saw him faint in the middle of his walk with his oldest son. There was a ruckus before, but I couldn’t see what happened, just him stopped dead and then fainted. It was amusing to say the least.”

“Interesting. Did you see what he saw?” Sable inquired.

“Some boy,” Jen said.

“Some boy? Way to downplay it,” Travis said.

“Some boy!” Willy emerged from the water. “I saw a boy!”

“Oh, did you?” Sable was extremely sceptical. Willy croaked, insulted that he was not even trusted at that level. He attacked with his tongue, but Sable just smacked it as if it was nothing. Sable was not an animal, after all. “Listen here, you little shit,” Sable hissed, “if you want to talk, just talk. If you provoked me once again, I would make sure you won’t emerge again from that pond.” Willy squeaked now in fear.

“Fine...” Willy stepped away from Sable as far as he could. “I saw a boy here just earlier. He looked a bit funny.”

“Describe funny,” Travis requested.

“He looked like a rotten cadaver.”

“A zombie?” Jen interjected excitedly.

“Maybe? I don’t know.”

“He is dumb, don’t expect much from him,” Sable cruelly said. “But you might have seen more. Did you see anything else and make yourself useful, Willy?”

“He was here,” the toad said as he hopped to the spot where he believed he saw the human boy. He kept hopping so his reflection appeared on the pond. “He was looking at the water and then he cried. It was ugly! Ugly! Ugly!” Willy kept hopping. “Then, there was wind. Strange wind! And he disappeared with the wind. Whoosh!”

“A zombie boy disappeared with a wind. Fascinating imagination,” Sable sneered. Jen tilted her head.

“But didn’t Cedric visit you today?”

“Cedric did?” Travis asked. Yes, every animal and creature in the forest knew him because he spent too much time in the forest all his life since he arrived from across the ocean. His powers drew them near, too. Dangerous and enticing.

“Oh, true,” Sable said, realising the probability. “I don’t know what he was talking about with my master, but there must be something important. He visits regularly, but today was not his regular visit day.”

“I bet you still judge him after all these years before he can enter the house,” Travis said jokingly.

“It is my duty,” Sable said proudly.

“But you know,” Jen started, “after what happened in town, I flew around and saw the witch. The one that Freyja is close to. I saw her with candy apples. I wonder what it meant. It was strange to see a witch with normal food.”

“That said, I remember I should be visiting Nathan,” Travis said suddenly. They then realised it was night already, no longer an afternoon. The moon was about to show. The time sometimes was warped in that space because of the deep magic. Also, it was because Freyja lived there. Jen tilted her head right and left, interested.

“Can I come? Will he like a raven, too? Maybe he would like a raven, too, because she likes ravens. I remember she mentioned he liked ravens and crows. He is one of us, at least mentally.”

“Well, you might as well come because I have no answer for you,” Travis wisely replied. Sable sighed and stretched his legs. He didn’t want to stay longer because the moon would see him.

“I’ll be on my way, then, good night!” he quickly said, dashing into the darkness of the forest in no time at all.

He didn’t even wait for them to return the greetings. Willy just stayed there, blinked blankly, and croaked. Travis and Jen were used to this. They prepared to fly to the sky, but then they stopped because something was coming toward them. They heard the steps. A human. But whoever that was, they didn’t scare off the animals, so Jen and Travis remained where they were, waiting.

It was Nathan, barefooted, with panic and fear in his eyes and face.


End file.
